"We're not going to be as quick (in the race) as we were in qualifying compared to everybody else," Rosberg acknowledged.

Similarly, team boss Ross Brawn is happy but not jubilant that a silver car will start from P1 on Sunday.

"Much more important is that we have the fastest car over 57 laps," he is quoted by Germany's Auto Motor und Sport.

Indeed, a look at the top ten grid positions shows there are several contenders. 2013 race winners Sebastian Vettel and Fernando Alonso are second and third, while Melbourne winner Kimi Raikkonen qualified only ninth.